Gastonia set to take the next step on creation of FUSE district

Gastonia leaders have been plugging away behind the scenes for several months on advancing the vision of a new baseball stadium-anchored entertainment district west of downtown.

On Tuesday, the status of the venture known as FUSE will take center stage again, as City Council members hear more presentations on how the project is progressing.

First and foremost, they'll be asked to make a decision on hiring an architectural and engineering services firm to direct the creation of the Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment district. Four companies submitted bids for the work, and a local selection committee reviewed those proposals. The panel included city staff, representatives of the Gastonia Grizzlies, and the UNC School of Government's Development Finance Initiative.

That committee recommended hiring Pendulum Studio, a firm based in Kansas City, Missouri, and having it partner with LaBella Associates of Charlotte to oversee the work. Should City Council accept that suggestion Tuesday, staff would finalize the project scope and negotiate a contract with Pendulum for city leaders to vote on in August.

Also on Tuesday, council members will hear the results of a market analysis that was prepared to assess the potential impact of creating the FUSE district. Omar Kashef, project manager of the UNC School of Government's Development Finance Initiative, will lead the presentation. He'll focus on details such as how the project could reap the rewards of the population spikes in metro Charlotte, particularly as that wave of growth and development trends west of the Catawba River.

Kristy Crisp, the city's economic development director, will also give an overall report on where the FUSE district's development stands.

Last October, City Council members unanimously committed nearly $4 million to purchase 16 acres of land and demolish several buildings between Franklin Boulevard, West Main Avenue, Hill Street and Clay Street. That step will clear the way for construction of a separately financed, multi-use baseball stadium on about 8 acres that will conceptually become a destination for athletic events, concerts, conventions and more.

The stadium itself will cost another $10 million to $15 million and will have to be financed separately. The current plan is for it to be owned by the city and likely leased by the Gastonia Grizzlies, a summer collegiate baseball franchise based here. But to be financially solvent, it will also have to be used for a wide variety of other year-round events.

Crisp said nothing has been decided about what Grizzlies owner Jesse Cole might eventually pay the city in terms of a lease rate. Conversations on that to date have been strictly conceptual, she said. But details of a facility management agreement between the city and the Grizzlies will likely be firmed up later this year or in early 2018.

To date, the city has closed on the purchase of several buildings and tracts of real estate throughout the 16-acre district. The only property left to acquire is where Fab-Tech now operates.

Asbestos abatement has continued of late on the former Sears building that sits between Franklin Boulevard and Main Avenue. Demolition of the structure will be carried out once all potentially hazardous materials are removed.

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.

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